Paint on micro chip touch screens

ABSTRACT

A system for a touch screen interface that includes a coating including a plurality of a touch activated microchips; and a projector for projecting a light image onto the coating that is applied to a touch screen substrate. The system also includes an image calibrator that calibrates touch activated microchips in the coating to features of the light image projected onto the coating. The system further includes a receiver for receiving signal from the touch activated microchips when said feature of the light image is activated.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to interfaces with computers,and more particularly to touch interfaces with computers.

Description of the Related Art

A touch screen panel is an input device capable of inputting a user'sinstruction by selecting instruction contents displayed on a screen ofan image display device, or the like, with a human's hand or an object.To this end, the touch screen panel is provided on a front surface ofthe image display device to convert a contact position directlycontacted by the human hand or the object into an electric signal.Therefore, the instruction contents selected at the contact position isrecognized as an input signal. Since the touch screen panel may besubstituted for a separate input device operating by being connected tothe image display device, such as a keyboard or a mouse, applicationfields thereof have been gradually extended. Types implementing thetouch screen panel may include, e.g., a resistive type touch screenpanel, a photosensitive type touch screen panel, a capacitive type touchscreen panel, and the like.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, a method of providing a touch screen is describedherein. In one embodiment, the method for forming the touch screen mayinclude applying a coating including a plurality of radio frequencysensitive microchips to a substrate for a touch screen. An image for atouch screen interface is produced on the substrate for the touchscreen. The radio frequency sensitive microchips are calibrated tofeatures of the image for the touch screen interface. Radio frequencyactivation of the radio frequency sensitive microchips that arecalibrated to the features of the image activates said features.

In another embodiments, a method of providing a touch screen isdescribed herein that employs pressure sensitive microchips appliedusing a coating method. In one embodiment, the method for forming thetouch screen may include applying a coating including a plurality ofpressure sensitive microchips to a substrate for a touch screen. Animage for a touch screen interface is produced on the substrate for thetouch screen. The pressure sensitive microchips are calibrated tofeatures of the image for the touch screen interface. Pressureactivation of the pressure sensitive microchips that are calibrated tothe features of the image activates said features.

In yet another embodiment, a system for a touch screen interface isprovided that includes a projector for projecting at least one lightimage onto a coating that is applied to a touch screen substrate thatincludes a plurality of touch activated microchips, wherein the at leastone light image includes a touch screen image including activationfields for a function; and an image calibrator that calibrates touchactivated microchips in the coating to the at least one light imagebeing projected. The system can further include a receiver for receivingsignal from the touch activated microchips when said feature of thelight image is activated. In some embodiments, the system includes anactivated microchip to selected feature actuator to correlate a signalreceived by the receiver from an touch activated microchip that a userof the touch screen interface has selected the activation field for thefunction. The system further includes a transmitter of activated featuresignal from the touch activated microchips that sends a signal to acomputer interfacing with the touch screen interface instructing thatthe activation field for the function has been selected.

These and other features and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof,which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description will provide details of preferred embodimentswith reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram showing a method of providing a touch screenusing frequency sensitive microchips applied in a coating of paint, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top down view of an RFID coil as used on the touch sensitivemicrochips, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side cross sectional view of a touch sensitive microchip, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing a method of providing a touch screenusing frequency sensitive or capacitance sensitive microchips applied ina wall paper covering that is applied to a substrate, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram showing a method of providing a touch screenusing frequency sensitive microchips applied in a coating of paint, inwhich the chips are calibrated by scanning the entirety of the substratewith a RFID reader, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram showing a method of providing a touch screenusing frequency sensitive microchips applied in a coating of paint, inwhich the chips are calibrated employing intercommunication betweenadjacent chips, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a block/flow diagram showing the components of one embodimentof a touch screen generator that can be integrated with the methods,structures and system depicted in FIGS. 1-6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” ofthe present invention, as well as other variations thereof, means that aparticular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth described inconnection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment ofthe present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment”, as well any other variations,appearing in various places throughout the specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

In some embodiments, methods, structures and systems are describedherein that can provide touch sensitive layer that can be coated, e.g.,painted, onto any substrate surface, e.g., flat surface. The touchsensitive layers that are described herein can provide a touch screeninterface with a computer when an image is projected thereon. In anembodiment, an enamel pain saturated with low power, capacitancesensing, near field communication microchips can be sprayed on asubstrate that can provide the surface for a touch screen forinteraction with a computer. The plurality of microchips can be arrangedin a mesh network, which in some examples may be referred to as a grid.In addition to application through paining, the plurality of microchipscan also be dispersed or affixed to a wall covering, such as a polymericsheet or wall paper, which is then bonded to a substrate surface that isto provide the substrate for the touch screen being formed. In someembodiments, communication may be made by radio frequency, e.g., radiofrequency identification (RFID) methods. In accordance with the methods,structures and systems that are described herein, an image is projectedonto the coated surface including the touch sensitive microchips,wherein the image includes fields that can be activated by a touch typeinterface. For example, when the touch sensitive microchips include anRF coil, as used in RFID applications, the field of the image can beactivated by an RFID reader that communicates with touch sensitivemicrochips through radio frequency communications. In other examples,when the touch sensitive microchips include pressure sensitivecapacitors, fields of the image being displayed on the coated network ofmicrochips may be activated by the user contacting the displayed fieldby touch, e.g., finger type touch. The methods, structures and systemsthat are described herein can provide for a touch screen that can be anysize desired by the user that can be applied by painting or wallcovering on a wall substrate. Further details of the methods, structuresand systems summarized above are provided with greater detail inreference to FIGS. 1-6.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a method of providing a touchscreen using frequency sensitive microchips applied in a coating ofpaint. The method begins at step 1 of the process flow illustrated inFIG. 1 with microchips with paint to provide a random distribution ofthe microchips in the paint. The term “paint” as used herein describes aliquid medium that includes a solvent for carrying the microchips to asurface to be coated. When the paint is applied to a substrate surfacefor providing the touch screen, the solvent may evaporate providing acoating on substrate including the micro-chips. The paint system mayalso include a binder and at least one pigment. In some embodiments, thepaint system can also include wetting agents, dispersants, anti-foamagents, stabilizers, deflocculates and other types of additivestypically used in paint.

The microchips can have a maximum size, i.e., at least a maximum height,width or depth dimension, that is no greater than 0.25 inches. In someembodiments, the components included on the microchips that are employedin the methods describe herein include an integrated circuit for lightsignal processing, transmission of signal, receiving of signal, andmemory of an identification for the chip. In some embodiments, themicrochips include a capacitor sensor, a light sensor or a combinationof the capacitor sensor and a light sensor. The light sensor may beprovided by a diode, such as a photodiode. The microchips may alsoinclude an antenna structure, such as a nano antenna. In someembodiments, the microchips can include an on-board power source, suchas a battery. One example of a radio frequency (RF) antennae that can beused in the embodiments employing radio frequency identification (RFID)is depicted in FIG. 2. In some other embodiments, the microchips do notinclude an on-board power source, such as a battery. In theseembodiments, the microchips can be energized by radio frequency from amarker or a projector.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a microchip 100 that can be usedwith the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1, as well as theother embodiments that are described below with reference to FIGS. 4-6.In some embodiments, the microchip 100 may include a pn junction 55,which is formed in a bulk substrate 60 that is composed of silicon anddoped to a n-type conductivity. The pn junction 55 includes an activearea 66 doped to a p-type conductivity. Present between the active area65 and the bulk semiconductor substrate 60 is a depletion region 70. Insome embodiments, the microchip 100 may further include a metallizedcontact 75 a, 75 b and a n-type back contact diffusion region 80 that isformed in the bulk semiconductor substrate 60. The microchip 100 mayinclude an RF antennae, as depicted in FIG. 2. The microchip 100 mayfurther include a photodiode to provide a light sensor for the microchip100. The light sensor can enable the microchip 100 to sense light from aspecific pattern when an image is projected, and in some instancestraversed across onto a network of the microchips 100 the provide thetouchscreen. The RF antennae 50, as depicted in FIG. 2, is one exampleof how the microchip 100 may communicate with a computer.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the paint and themicrochips 100 may be combined at step 1 through manual mixing,motorized mixing, high speed mixing, or any other mixing method. In themethod that is describe with reference to FIG. 1, the microchips areradio frequency microchips. These microchips 100 may be passive andpowered using an RF transmitter/receiver similar to RFID methods.

At step 2 of the method described with reference to FIG. 1, the coatingof the paint and the microchips can be applied to the substrate usingpainting methods such as spraying and brushing. In some examples, thepaint including the microchips can be applied by aerosol cans. In oneexample, the paint including the microchips can be an enamel basedpaint, e.g., a white colored paint, that includes microchips havingdimensions ranging from 100 microns×100 microns to 635 microns×635microns.

Although the coating is described herein as being applied to a wall, thecoating may be applied to any surface. In some examples, the surface towhich the coating is applied to provide a touch screen is a flat surfaceor relatively flat surface. In addition to walls, the coatings describedherein can also be applied to desk tops, counter tops, ceilings,flooring, as well as any other surface on which a touch screen may bedesired.

Turning to step 3 of the method described with reference to FIG. 1, oncethe coating is deposited, the location of the microchips can becalibrated. In the embodiment that is described with reference to FIG.1, the location of the microchips can be calibrated using a calibrationimage that is projected onto the coating including the microchips thatis coated onto the substrate. The calibration image may include colorsand shapes and alignment features that can be sensed by the microchips100 in the coating. More specifically, the light sensors, e.g.,photodiodes, integrated into the microchips can sense the colors and/orshapes and/or alignment features of the calibration image, and can senda signal including the location and identification of the microchips toa calibration apparatus for a projector that subsequently projects animage for a touch screen interface onto the coating including themicrochips. The calibration apparatus can employ machine learning, suchas recurrent neural networks (RNN), to classify which of the signals arebeing detected, e.g., a light signal, capacitance signal and/or RFsignal, and the signals can be stored using a form of memory which caninclude cloud type memory. In some embodiments, machine learning canidentify if the calibration signal is reliable. Convolutional neuralnetworks (CNN) can be used to train the system for expected signal typesindicative of a calibrated signal in comparison to a faulty signal.

At step 4 of the method depicted in FIG. 1, a touch screen image may beprojected onto the coating of the microchips. The touch screen imageincludes at least one feature that can be activated by the user toprovide an interface with a computer. This feature may be a selectbutton on a touch screen image, a text box, an expandable menu, a searchbox or any other feature of a graphical interface used in computers. Insome embodiments, because the location of the microchips has beenpreviously determined, the touch screen images is positioned on thecoating to align at least one feature that is to be selected, i.e.,activated, as part of a graphical interface with a computer, to at leastone microchip in the coating.

Turning to step 5, the method illustrated in FIG. 1 can continue with auser using the touch screen that has been described above, i.e., thetouch screen image projected on the coating including the dispersedmicrochips, to interface with a computer, e.g., interface with thegraphical user interface of a computer. Step 5 can include activation ofthe radio frequency sensitive microchips by contacting a feature of thetouch screen image projected onto the coating with a pointer deviceincluding an RFID reader. RFID is an acronym for “radio-frequencyidentification” and refers to a technology whereby digital data encodedin RFID tags, i.e., radio frequency sensitive microchips, are capturedby a reader via radio waves. In this embodiment, the microchips mayfunction as an RFID tag and include an integrated circuit and anantenna, which are used to transmit data to the pointer using the RFIDreader (also called an interrogator). The reader then converts the radiowaves to a more usable form of data. Information collected from the tagsis then transferred through a communications interface to a computersystem that the touch screen including the coating of microchips iscommunicating with. At the computer system, the data can activate afunction that is correlated to the feature being projected with thetouch screen image that is being selected by the RFID reader byinteraction with the correlated radio frequency sensitive microchip.

It is noted that this is only one example of a touch screen that can beprovided by the methods, structures and systems that are describedherein. FIG. 4 illustrates another method of providing a touch screenusing frequency sensitive or capacitance sensitive microchips applied ina wall paper covering that is applied to a substrate.

Referring to FIG. 4, the method may begin with step 6 which includesaffixing the microchips to a wall covering. The microchips employed inthe embodiments described with reference to FIG. 4 may be radiosensitive microchips that are activated by an RFID reader as describedin the embodiments described with reference to FIG. 3; or the microchipsemployed in the embodiments described with reference to FIG. 4 may sensecapacitance changes, i.e., be capacitance sensitive. While the radiofrequency microchips may be passive chips that can be activated, i.e.,draw power from, the RFID reader; the microchips that are capacitancesensitive are powered using an on chip battery source or by a RF coilthat is present on the back surface of the coating, i.e., is present onthe surface that the wall covering is deposited on. In either case,further details for the microchips have been described above withreference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The wall covering may be a flexible substrate. The composition of thewall covering may be polymer, or the wall covering may be paper. Forexample, the wall covering can be in the form of rollable vinyl. Themicrochips may be affixed using adhesive bonding. In other examples, themicrochips may be laminated to the wall covering. In yet other examples,the wall covering may be a composite in which the wall coveringsubstrate is the matrix of the composite, and the microchips can be thedispersed phase that is embedded therein.

In the embodiment that is described with reference to FIG. 4, themicrochips can be affixed to the wall covering in a grid of rows andcolumns. In some examples, the microchips that are arranged in the rowsand columns are equally spaced from their neighbors. The spacing betweenadjacent microchips can be by an equal repeating pitch. This gridarrangement of the microchips that are affixed to the wall covering canprovide an embodiment that needs less calibration than the touch screensformed using a coating of microchips, in which the microchips can berandomly dispersed.

Referring to FIG. 4, the method can continue with step 7, which includesapplying the wall covering to a substrate for a touchscreen. Theapplication of the wall covering to the substrate may include adhesivebonding or wall paper paste. The substrate may be a wall surface similarto the embodiments that are described above with reference to FIG. 1.The substrate may also be a ceiling surface, countertop surface,flooring surface and desktop surface.

At step 8 of the method depicted in FIG. 4, the location of themicrochips can be calibrated by capacitance measurements using themicrochips, or by communicating with the radio frequency sensitivemicrochips with a radio frequency receiver, i.e., RFID receiver. Morespecifically, in some embodiments, by contacting a single row and/orcolumn of microchips in the fixed grid of microchips in the wallcovering, the location of the entirety of the microchips can bedetermined therefore calibrating the grid of microchips for use in atouch screen application. For the embodiments, in which the microchipsare radio frequency sensitive microchips, contacting the microchips mayinclude contacting microchips with a pointer having an integrated radiofrequency transmitter/receiver, i.e., RFID transmitter/receiver. In someembodiments, the radio frequency sensitive microchips are passive andare powered by the RF signal from the RFID transmitter/receiver. For theembodiments, in which the microchips are capacitance sensitivemicrochips, contacting the microchips may include a pressure that isapplied to the microchips that changes the capacitance reading of themicrochips. The capacitance sensitive microchips are typically poweredby an on board battery, or an RF coil that is backing the substrate onwhich the touch screen is being formed. Because the microchips arepositioned in fixed rows and columns, and the spacing and number of themicrochips can be known, calibration of an entire grid of microchips canbe provided by sensing a single row or column of microchips.

At step 9 of the method depicted in FIG. 4, a touch screen image may beprojected onto the coating of the microchips. The touch screen imageincludes at least one feature that can be activated by the user toprovide an interface with a computer. This feature may be a selectbutton on a touch screen image, a text box, an expandable menu, a searchbox or any other feature of a graphical interface used in computers.

At step 10 of the method depicted in FIG. 4, the features from the touchscreen image that are to be activated as part of the user interface witha computer are correlated to a location of microchips. In someembodiments, because the location of the microchips is known, the touchscreen images are positioned on the wall covering to align at least onefeature that is to be selected, i.e., activated, as part of a graphicalinterface with a computer, to at least one microchip in the wallcovering.

At step 11 of the method depicted in FIG. 4, the method can continuewith a user using the touch screen that has been described above, i.e.,the touch screen image projected on the coating including the dispersedmicrochips, to interface with a computer, e.g., interface with thegraphical user interface of a computer. Step 11 can include activationof the radio frequency sensitive microchips by contacting a feature ofthe touch screen image projected onto the coating with a pointer deviceincluding an RFID reader. The use of an RFID reader pointer device ormarker has been further described above in step 5 of FIG. 1. Therefore,the description of the use of the RFID reader and its interaction withthe radio frequency sensitive microchips to provide a touch screeninterface with a computer that is provided above in the description ofstep 5 of FIG. 1 can provide one example of how to activated the radiofrequency sensitive microchips for step 11 of FIG. 4. In the embodimentsin which the microchips are capacitance sensitive, a marker or pointeris not necessary. In this example, a user can interface with the touchscreen using only his or her finger tips, i.e., finger type touch. Inthis example, when the user contacts a capacitance sensitive microchip,the capacitance of the microchip changes, which provides signal foractivation of a feature on touch screen image. In some examples, thecapacitance sensitive microchip includes a dielectric coating atop anelectrode, wherein the users fingertip on the opposing side of thedielectric coating that the electrode is in contact with provides asecond electrode to provide a capacitor relationship. In someembodiments, the interaction of the fingertip with the dielectriccreates a change in the dielectric constant, which changes thecapacitance of the capacitor, which provides for the signal illustratingactivation of a feature on the touch screen image.

Information collected from the microchips is then transferred through acommunications interface to a computer system that the touch screenincluding the coating of microchips is communicating with. At thecomputer system, the data can activate a function that is correlated tothe feature being projected with the touch screen image that is beingselected by the RFID reader by interaction with the correlated radiofrequency sensitive microchip.

Similar to the embodiments that are described with reference to FIG. 1,the method depicted in FIG. 4 can employ machine learning to process theplurality of signals provided by the microchips. Recurrent NeuralNetworks (RNN) or any other machine learning methods can be applied toclassify which of the signals are being detected. All of such signaldetection results could be stored in the cloud for further analytics.Further, machine learning can be used to identify if the read signal isreliable. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) can also be used to trainthe system for expected sensory values and identifying faulty sensordata. RNN is also applicable as the signal pattern can be repeating.

It is noted that this the embodiments described with reference to FIG. 4are only one example of a touch screen that can be provided by themethods, structures and systems that are described herein. FIG. 5illustrates another method of providing a touch screen using frequencysensitive microchips that is applied in a coating of paint, in which thechips are calibrated by scanning the entirety of the substrate with anRFID reader.

The method depicted in FIG. 5 can begin with step 12 which includesmixing radio frequency sensitive microchips with paint in randomdistribution, and step 13 which includes applying a coating of paintincluding microchips to substrate for providing a touchscreen. Thedescription of steps 1 and 2 from FIG. 1 can provide one embodiment ofsteps 12 and 13 in FIG. 5.

In a following step, a touch screen image may be projected onto thecoating of the microchips at step 14. The touch screen image includes atleast one feature that can be activated by the user to provide aninterface with a computer. This feature may be a select button on atouch screen image, a text box, an expandable menu, a search box or anyother feature of a graphical interface used in computers.

Turning to step 15, the method continues with scanning the substrate forthe touchscreen with an RFID receiver and transmitter to detect thelocation of each chip. In this embodiment, the microchips may functionas an RFID tag and include an integrated circuit and an antenna, whichare used to transmit data to the pointer using the RFID reader (alsocalled an interrogator). The reader then converts the radio waves to amore usable form of data. Information collected from the tags is thentransferred through a communications interface to a computer system thatthe touch screen including the coating of microchips is communicatingwith.

At step 16 of the method illustrated in FIG. 5, the method continueswith signal detection for the scanning of the substrate processed usingmachine learning to correlate the chips to the touch screen image. Themethod can employ machine learning to process the plurality of signalsprovided by the microchips. Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) or any othermachine learning methods can be applied to classify which of the signalsare being detected, and which correlated to a feature of the touchscreen image that can be activated. All of such signal detection resultscould be stored in the cloud for further analytics. Further, machinelearning can be used to identify if the read signal is reliable.Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) can also be used to train the systemfor expected sensory values and identifying faulty sensor data. RNN isalso applicable as the signal pattern can be repeating.

A user can than interact with the touch screen image at step 17.Activation of the radio frequency sensitive microchips can includecontacting the feature of the image for the touch screen correlated tothe radio frequency sensitive microchips with a pointer device includingan RFID reader. In this embodiment, the microchips may function as anRFID tag and include an integrated circuit and an antenna, which areused to transmit data to the pointer using the RFID reader (also calledan interrogator). The reader then converts the radio waves to a moreusable form of data. Information collected from the tags is thentransferred through a communications interface to a computer system thatthe touch screen including the coating of microchips is communicatingwith. At the computer system, the data can activate a function that iscorrelated to the feature being projected with the touch screen imagethat is being selected by the RFID reader by interaction with thecorrelated radio frequency sensitive microchip.

It is noted that this is only one example of a touch screen that can beprovided by the methods, structures and systems that are describedherein. FIG. 6 illustrates another method of providing a touch screenusing frequency sensitive or capacitance sensitive microchips applied ina wall paper covering that is applied to a substrate.

Step 18 of the method depicted in FIG. 6 includes mixing microchips thatare responsive to radio frequency and/or capacitance changes with paintin random dispersion. Step 19 of the method depicted in FIG. 6 includesapplying a coating to a substrate for a touchscreen. The description ofsteps 1 and 2 from FIG. 1 can provide one embodiment of steps 18 and 19in FIG. 6.

Thereafter, running a touch type finger or RFID reader/transmitter alonga path on the substrate can calibrate the location of those microchipsby determining the location of those chips along that path at step 20.As described above, the radio frequency sensitive microchips arecalibrated using an RFID reader/transmitter that activated the radiofrequency sensitive microchips that function similar to an RF tag, whichmay be passive tags, i.e., energized only by the RF signal. Thecapacitance sensitive microchips may have their own power source, i.e.,on chip battery, but may also be powered by an RF coil backing thecoating. Touching the capacitance sensitive chips by finger changes thecapacitance of the capacitor structure present thereon, which canprovide a signal indicating location of the chip.

At step 21, the chips that were calibrated along the path communicatewith adjacent chips which communicate back to a calibrator thatidentifies the location of the entirety of chips on the substrate forthe touchscreen. The chips may communicate with one another using anano-antenna that is integrated onto the chip. This can be accomplishedusing a form of near field communication.

Turning to step 22, a touch screen image including features to beactivated can be projected onto the substrate to provide a touch screeninterface. The touch screen image includes at least one feature that canbe activated by the user to provide an interface with a computer. Thisfeature may be a select button on a touch screen image, a text box, anexpandable menu, a search box or any other feature of a graphicalinterface used in computers.

In a following process step for the method illustrated in FIG. 6, thefeatures of the touch screen image that are to be activated arecorrelated to the location of microchips as step 23. The location of themicrochips is known from steps 20 and 21.

At step 24 of the sequence depicted in FIG. 6, the method can continuewith a user using the touch screen that has been described above, i.e.,the touch screen image projected on the coating including the dispersedmicrochips, to interface with a computer, e.g., interface with thegraphical user interface of a computer. Step 24 can include activationof the radio frequency sensitive microchips by contacting a feature ofthe touch screen image projected onto the coating with a pointer deviceincluding an RFID reader. The use of an RFID reader pointer device ormarker has been further described above in step 5 of FIG. 1. Therefore,the description of the use of the RFID reader and its interaction withthe radio frequency sensitive microchips to provide a touch screeninterface with a computer that is provided above in the description ofstep 5 of FIG. 1 can provide one example of how to activated the radiofrequency sensitive microchips for step 24 of FIG. 6. In the embodimentsin which the microchips are capacitance sensitive, a marker or pointeris not necessary. In this example, a user can interface with the touchscreen using only his or her finger tips, i.e., finger type touch. Inthis example, when the user contacts a capacitance sensitive microchip,the capacitance of the microchip changes, which provides signal foractivation of a feature on touch screen image. In some examples, thecapacitance sensitive microchip includes a dielectric coating atop anelectrode, wherein the users fingertip on the opposing side of thedielectric coating that the electrode is in contact with provides asecond electrode to provide a capacitor relationship. In someembodiments, the interaction of the fingertip with the dielectriccreates a change in the dielectric constant, which changes thecapacitance of the capacitor, which provides for the signal illustratingactivation of a feature on the touch screen image.

Information collected from the microchips is then transferred through acommunications interface to a computer system that the touch screenincluding the coating of microchips is communicating with. At thecomputer system, the data can activate a function that is correlated tothe feature being projected with the touch screen image that is beingselected by the RFID reader by interaction with the correlated radiofrequency sensitive microchip.

Similar to the above described embodiments, the method depicted in FIG.6 can employ machine learning to process the plurality of signalsprovided by the microchips. Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) or any othermachine learning methods can be applied to classify which of the signalsare being detected. All of such signal detection results could be storedin the cloud for further analytics. Further, machine learning can beused to identify if the read signal is reliable. Convolutional NeuralNetwork (CNN) can also be used to train the system for expected sensoryvalues and identifying faulty sensor data. RNN is also applicable as thesignal pattern can be repeating.

FIG. 7 depicts one embodiment of the components of a processing system200 for providing a touch screen generator that can be integrated withthe methods, systems and structures that are described with reference toFIGS. 1-6. In FIG. 7, the touch screen generator interacts with acoating or wall covering including a plurality of a touch activatedmicrochips, and may include a projector module 201 for projecting alight image onto the coating that is applied to a touch screensubstrate. The touch screen generator also includes an image calibrator202 that calibrates touch activated microchips in the coating tofeatures of the light image projected onto the coating; a receiver 203for receiving signal from the touch activated microchips when saidfeature of the light image is activated; an activated microchip toselected feature actuator 204; and a transmitter 205 of activatedfeatures signal to a computer interfacing with the touch screen. Stillreferring to FIG. 7, the touch screen generator 200 may also include amachine learning engine 206.

The coatings, wall coverings, and microchips that the touch screengenerator 200 communicates with have been described above with referenceto FIGS. 1-6.

The projector module 201 may include at least one hardware processor andmemory for containing instructions for operating a projector forproviding a light image for the purposes of providing a touch screenimage having features to be activated as part of an interface with acomputer, as described above with respect to steps 4, 9, 14 and 22 ofFIGS. 1 and 4-6, respectively. The projector module 201 may also providethe alignment image that is described in step 3 of FIG. 1.

The image calibrator 202 may also include memory for providinginstructions to at least one hardware processor in order to provide thefunctions of calibrating the microchips in accordance with steps 3 and 4of FIG. 1, steps 8 and 9 of FIG. 4, step 16 of FIG. 5, and steps 20 and21 of FIG. 6.

The receiver 203 may be an RFID receiver for communicating with themicrochips. The receiver 203 may also include memory for storing thesignals received by the microchips, as well as at least one processorfor analyzing the signals received from the microchips.

The activated microchip to selected feature actuator 204 may includememory including instructions for employing a processor, such as ahardware processor, to correlate a signal received by the receiver froman touch sensitive microchip that the user of the touch screen hasactivated a feature of the touch screen image to start a function. Theactivated microchip to selected feature actuator 204 can provide thefunctions that are described with respect to step 5 of FIG. 1, step 11of FIG. 4, steps 16 and 17 of FIG. 5 and step 24 of FIG. 6.

The transmitter 205 of activated features signal to a computerinterfacing with the touch screen is one output from the touch screengenerator. It may transmit the signal wirelessly or over a hard lineconnection to the computer.

The machine learning engine 206 may provide the machine learningfunctions, such as those provided through recurrent neural networks(RNN) and convolutional neural networks (CNN), that have been describedabove with reference to FIGS. 1-6.

The projector module 201, image calibrator 202, the receiver 203, theactivated microchip to selected feature actuator 204, the transmitter205 of activated features signal to a computer interfacing with thetouch screen, and the machine learning engine 206 are depicted inelectrical communication with the system bus 105.

The processing system 200 may also includes at least one processor (CPU)102 operatively coupled to other components via a system bus 105. Acache 106, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 108, a Random Access Memory (RAM)110, an input/output (I/O) adapter 120, a sound adapter 130, a networkadapter 140, a user interface adapter 150, and a display adapter 160,are operatively coupled to the system bus 105.

A first storage device 122 and a second storage device 124 areoperatively coupled to system bus 102 by the I/O adapter 120. Thestorage devices 122 and 124 can be any of a disk storage device (e.g., amagnetic or optical disk storage device), a solid state magnetic device,and so forth. The storage devices 122 and 124 can be the same type ofstorage device or different types of storage devices. A speaker 132 isoperatively coupled to system bus 102 by the sound adapter 130. Atransceiver 142 is operatively coupled to system bus 102 by networkadapter 140. A display device 162 is operatively coupled to system bus102 by display adapter 160. A first user input device 152, a second userinput device 154, and a third user input device 156 are operativelycoupled to system bus 102 by user interface adapter 150. The first inputdevice 152 may be receive an image from the scanning electron microscope(SEM) providing the automated nano-scale imaging 23 and/or across-section transmission electron microscope (TEM) 24. The secondinput device 154 may be an input for the optical critical dimensions(OCD) 21, 31 are taken using an optical diffraction measurement as partof the historical data 20 track or the production track 30. The thirdinput device 156 may be an input for electrical performance measurementstaken from the in line electrical property testing apparatus 22 of thehistorical data track 20 and/or the in line electrical property testingapparatus 32 of the production track 30. The system depicted in FIG. 7may also include other input devices, such as any of a keyboard, amouse, a keypad, an image capture device, a motion sensing device, amicrophone, a device incorporating the functionality of at least two ofthe preceding devices, and so forth. Of course, other types of inputdevices can also be used, while maintaining the spirit of the presentinvention. The system may further include an output device 158 forproviding instructions to the apparatus actuator 35.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as SMALLTALK, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following “/”,“and/or”, and “at least one of”, for example, in the cases of “A/B”, “Aand/or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A andB). As a further example, in the cases of “A, B, and/or C” and “at leastone of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listedoption (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listedoptions (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listedoptions (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listedoptions (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and Band C). This may be extended, as readily apparent by one of ordinaryskill in this and related arts, for as many items listed.

Having described preferred embodiments of a system, structure and methodfor a paint one microchip touch screen, it is noted that modificationsand variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of theabove teachings. It is therefore to be understood that changes may bemade in the particular embodiments disclosed which are within the scopeof the invention as outlined by the appended claims. Having thusdescribed aspects of the invention, with the details and particularityrequired by the patent laws, what is claimed and desired protected byLetters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for forming a touch screen comprising:applying a liquid coating including, suspended therein, a plurality ofradio frequency (RF) sensitive microchips to a substrate for a touchscreen, each of the microchips including an antenna structure and amemory containing a chip identification; calibrating the radio frequencysensitive microchips to features of an image for a touch screeninterface projected on the substrate; and activating the radio frequencysensitive microchips that are calibrated to the features of the image toactivate the features of the touch screen interface.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein applying the coating includes spraying a liquidcontaining the plurality of radio frequency sensitive microchips.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the coating is a wall covering having theradio frequency sensitive microchips present therein.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the radio frequency sensitive microchips comprise acoil for at least one of receiving and sending RF signals.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the radio frequency sensitive microchips include alight sensor.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein calibrating the radiofrequency sensitive microchips includes projecting a light image to theplurality of radio frequency sensitive microchips in the coating, andsensing, with the light sensor, alignment objects in the light image forcalibrating a location of the radio frequency sensitive microchips tothe features of the image for the touch screen interface.
 7. The methodof claim 1, wherein activating the radio frequency sensitive microchipsincludes contacting the features of the image for the touch screencorrelated to the radio frequency sensitive microchips with a pointerdevice including an RFID reader.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein theradio frequency sensitive microchips include a battery power source. 9.The method of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency sensitive microchipsare powered by an RF coil backing the coating.
 10. A system for a touchscreen interface comprising: a coating applied as a liquid to a touchscreen substrate that includes, suspended therein, a plurality of touchactivated microchips, each including an antenna and a memory containinga chip identification; an image calibrator that calibrates the touchactivated microchips in the coating to at least one light image, havingactivation fields, projected on to the coating; a receiver configuredreceiving signal from the touch activated microchips when a feature ofthe light image is activated; a feature actuator configured to correlatea signal received by the receiver from one of the touch activatedmicrochips with an associated one of the activation fields; and atransmitter configured to send a signal to a computer interfacing withthe touch screen interface instructing that the associated activationfield has been selected.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of theactivation fields is associated with a respective function executable bya computer.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the touch activatedmicrochips include a radio frequency (RF) coil and are activated by aradio signal from an RFID reader on a pointer applied to a feature onthe light image.
 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the touch activatedmicrochips include a battery power source.
 14. The system of claim 10,wherein the touch activated microchips are powered by a radio frequency(RF) coil.
 15. The system of claim 10, wherein the coating comprises apaint liquid including at least one of a solvent, pigment, binder andsaid touch activated microchips.
 16. The system of claim 10, wherein thecoating comprises a wall covering including said touch activatedmicrochips.
 17. A touch screen comprising: a coating applied to asubstrate for a touch screen, the coating including, suspended therein,a plurality of radio frequency (RF) sensitive microchips having anantenna structure and a memory containing a chip identification; a touchscreen interface projected onto the coating, the RF sensitive microchipsare calibrated to features of the image of the touch screen interface;and a processor configured to activate one of the features of the imagewhen one of the RF sensitive microchips corresponding to that feature isactivated.
 18. The touch screen of claim 17, wherein the RF sensitivemicrochips include a light sensor.
 19. The touch screen of claim 18,wherein the RF sensitive microchips are calibrated by projecting a lightimage to the plurality of RF sensitive microchips in the coating, suchthat the light sensor senses alignment objects in the light image forcalibrating the location of the RF sensitive microchips to the featuresof the image for the touch screen interface.
 20. The touch screen ofclaim 17, wherein the RF sensitive microchips are powered by an RF coil.